Everyone from the northeast knows how uncomfortable and frigid it is to be outside during a winter storm, let alone playing a sport in one. It was confirmed that a new indoor turf field will be put in over the current location of the grass field next to GoValiants.com Field currently on campus. The new bubbled field is a result of a new partnership with the New York Soccer Club.

The New York Soccer Club has been in search of a field they can use and are currently renting Manhattanville’s facilities. They have decided to partner up with the school to get this job done.

The project was approved by the Purchase Town Planning Board at the end of October. Ever since the beginning of the planning process, the school has provided town residents with information regarding the work and time frame.

They did not want to take any chances and were sure to secure their approval before any advances were made.

A new field would be big news on any campus, but this field is special. The upcoming project will have the turf field bubbled. This means the new turf will be covered leaving it usable in poor weather, mainly snow storms. Many colleges, especially small division III schools, do not have something like this accessible on campus and are forced to either pay to have the field plowed, or rent indoor space off campus.

DIGITALLY PRODUCED IMAGE OF THE MULTI-SURFACE INDOOR FIELD

The new complex is named the Ophir Field after the Ophir Farm Estate that was once located on the college campus during the 17th century. The new facility will have a multi-surface turf that will be divided into sections by nets, so multiple teams can practice at once. There will also be a multi-surface court for volleyball and basketball.

During an interview with Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Ryder Bohlander, he expressed his excitement and optimism about the project. He explained how difficult it was to find and rent out space when winter storms did hit and buried the field in season. Though the field was covered, games were still scheduled and the team needed to practice.

Coach Bohlander went on to say that, “I’m not sure if any Division III programs in the area have one [Bubbled Turf Field]. It would be great for the school to be in possession of one. It would greatly benefit all teams on campus when their fields are unusable due to inclement weather. It would also open the possibility to rent out the space to other schools and programs in search of an indoor facility.”